Night Custodian, Luis Armas, remains in Morse Hall long after all students have returned back to their dorms, cleaning the classrooms and locking up the building.
Armas starts his workday at 3:30 p.m., after the school day ends. He finishes his work around 11:30 p.m. when he heads back to his home in Dracut, Mass., where he lives with his 9-year-old daughter.
“Every [night custodian] has different buildings they do and different schedules. Me, I start my day over at Benner [House] and I clean Benner, then finish of my night over in Morse,” said Armas in an interview with The Phillipian.
Because of the unique schedule of a night custodian, Armas faces difficulty spending time with family and friends. His daughter occasionally stays up late on Friday nights to wait for Armas to come home.
“It’s difficult. It’s not something I want to do for very long. It took a little while for me to get used to because you’re kind of off schedule from the rest of the world… I have weekends off so my weekends are always packed because I’m trying to accommodate everybody on Saturday and Sunday,” said Armas.
Armas enjoys free time in the mornings, waking up around 9 a.m., going to the gym, and hiking or visiting a beach, if weather permits. Armas is also studying for his Information Technology (IT) certification.
“[Being a night custodian] right now fits well with my schedule, where I can study during the day time and work in the evenings. Plus in the summertime I get to enjoy the sun while everyone else is at work,” said Armas.
Armas previously served in the United States Navy, then went on to study IT at New Hampshire Technological Institute at Concord, Conn. He has been working as a night custodian for a little over a year.
Despite his unusual schedule, Armas enjoys the convenience and benefits of working as a night custodian at Andover. He plans to continue his work at Andover until he receives his IT certification and hopes to transition into working at the Academy’s Informational Technology Office.
Working as a night custodian gives Armas the opportunity to interact with the student body on a regular basis, which gives him insights into the rigor that goes into student life.
“What sticks out to me [most while] working here is the dedication and tenacity of the students here. I admire the hard work and effort they put in. Countless hours are spent studying and working on different endeavors throughout campus. School doesn’t end when the bell rings and I see this first hand as I work in different buildings,” wrote Armas in an email to The Phillipian
According to Armas, the biggest mess he has had to clean was not caused by an Andover community member, but rather by Mother Nature herself.
“[The biggest mess I’ve had to clean] probably would have to be the last big snow storm we had. I’m on the shoveling crew, so I had to spend the day and night on campus to help grounds crew clear up campus. Spent more than 24 hours at work so it was definitely an interesting experience,” wrote Armas.
